COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — More than 400 fall and summer graduates of the University of Colorado Colorado Springs are expected to participate in Fall 2012 Commencement ceremonies scheduled for 2 p.m. Dec. 14 at the Colorado Springs World Arena, 3185 Venetucci Boulevard.

All graduates will walk across a stage and will be individually recognized. Doctoral candidates will be hooded at the ceremony that will be led by members of the CU Board of Regents, CU President Bruce Benson, UCCS Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak and members of the UCCS faculty and staff. Tom Saponas, a member of the UCCS Class of 1972, will deliver the commencement address.

About 800 students who completed degree requirements during the summer and fall semesters are eligible to participate in formal ceremonies. UCCS also conducts a ceremony for spring graduates. It is scheduled for May 24, 2013.

For the first time in UCCS history, the commencement ceremony will be streamed live online and available to anyone around the world. To watch the ceremony live, go to www.uccs.edu/commencement at 2 p.m. UCCS Commencement ceremonies will be rebroadcast on Comcast Channel 20. For a schedule of the broadcasts, and other ceremony details, visit www.uccs.edu/commencement.

Saponas began taking classes at UCCS in 1967 when the campus was only two years old and graduated five years later with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science, and a master’s degree in electrical engineering. For more than 25 years, he held positions with Hewlett Packard and Agilent corporations including general manager, and vice president and chief technology officer. He currently is a director for nGimat, an Atlanta-based nanopowder and coatings company, and Fremont, Calif.-based Procera Networks.

Saponas continues to be active in UCCS activities including serving as a volunteer mentor in the Freshman Seminar Program, as a board member for the UCCS Science and Engineering Community Advisory Board, the UCCS College of Engineering Advisory Board, and the CU Foundation Board of Directors.

In 1986, he received the University of Colorado Medal in recognition of his contributions to the university. In 2008, he received the Distinguished Service Award. A student lounge in the College of Engineering and Applied Science building bears his name. In 2000, Tom and Charlotte Saponas established an endowed student scholarship fund.

The University of Colorado Colorado Springs, located on Austin Bluffs Parkway in Colorado Springs, is one of the fastest growing universities in the nation. The University offers 36 bachelor’s degrees, 19 master’s and five doctoral degrees. UCCS enrolls about 9,800 students on campus annually and another 2,000 in online programs. For more information, visit www.uccs.edu.